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Battery matters


sapphire1616
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Hello everyone, my battery is sounding a bit sluggish when first starting the car (2002 S8 D2). A couple of questions I could do with some advice on please.

 

If the battery goes flat, how do I connect the boster pack to it. Is it just to the two connectors on the battery in the boot?

 

Secondly, if I replace the battery is it just a matter of out with the old, in with the new, or do I have to re-programme anything.

 

Would appreciate some guidance. Ta.

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Not sure about reprogramming, but I know the D3's need it.

 

The +ve & -ve connector posts are under the bonnet!  Means you don't have to look or touch the boot battery.

The posts are on the bulkhead on the drivers side IIRC!

 

How old is your battery at the mo?  Might just need replacing or an extra overnight charge?

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Starting an S8 with a booster might be fun.  I had to do that with an E60 535d; the recovery driver stuck the booster on the terminals but it was too feeble. 

 

In the end, we had the booster in the boot connected directly to the battery and the jump leads from his truck to the terminals under the bonnet, him in the cab revving his truck, and only then did we manage to start it!

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I nearly got caught out on my B6 S4. Found a good battery place and was due to get it done but checked with Audi just to see the price difference. They had a deal on and it cost me £5 less!

 

When they did it they ended up having to reprogram it. If i'd have gone to the battery place I was gonna swap it there and I'd have been stuffed.

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Just out of interest, this programming issue with the battery, is it purely the disconnection of the battery that triggers it and requires the reprogramming, or is there some kind of communication between the battery and ecu?

In theory, if it's simply the ecu registering a disconnection of the battery, couldn't you attach jump leads to the new battery, then disconnect the old one, and connect up the new one without removing the jump leads, so there is no interruption in the power supply?

That's how you have to change the 12v battery on a Prius, or the Ecu locks you out.

Edited by Tipex
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Just out of interest, this programming issue with the battery, is it purely the disconnection of the battery that triggers it and requires the reprogramming, or is there some kind of communication between the battery and ecu?

In theory, if it's simply the ecu registering a disconnection of the battery, couldn't you attach jump leads to the new battery, then disconnect the old one, and connect up the new one without removing the jump leads, so there is no interruption in the power supply?

That's how you have to change the 12v battery on a Prius, or the Ecu locks you out.

 

Nah, for some reason only beknownst to Audi, they programmed the Power Management ECU to remember battery %ages, but not to register any automatic changes after a disconnect.  So when you change them, the ECU sometimes needs telling it's got more juice to play with.  It's something to do with it making sure it usually has enough juice to start the car and NOT power everything up before starting, and leaving you stranded with no juice but lots of radio/CD/leccy seats etc.  (On the D3 anyway)

 

Otherwise it continues to turn stuff off when it doesn't have to.

 

 

I never changed the battery on my D2, but the car will still start if you get the right battery anyway.  The dash monitor will still whinge, but the car will be fine.

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Just had a quote for a new battery fitted by Audi dealer. £420.00 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

 

Foook me sideways whislt tying my balls to the new battery and chucking me off a cliff.  :o

Jeeez!

Please tell me they laughed!

 

Battery will be about £100 in GSF or Eurocarparts, then 20 mins for you to fit it with a 13 mm? spanner and a 20 mm spanner to undo the retaining bolt.

 

 

Don't forget the little pipe when you refit the new one.  And don't let the terminal leads bounce on the battery terminals as you remove or refit them.

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That was from an 'Audi Stealer! An 'Audi Approved' quoted £208.00 fitted. I have ordered a battery from my local guy...he is good, at £117 supply only. I am going to fit it using the booster pack connected to the leads then leaving a supply on permanent as I swap batteries over....just incase it fecks up! I spoke to a mechanic guy at Audi in Slough and he said that he didn't think that an 'old one' like mine would need programming. All in all a really interesting day. Being ripped off, insulted about my 'old girl'....what next! Out of interest, I will let you know what happens over the weekend, when I try to fit it. Thanks for your input.

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I have replaced the battery on my 2001 S8 D2 (which I imagine has the same battery set up as the 2002 model) and didn't have to reprogramme anything except to put the code in the Navigation+ system  after I connected  the new one. One thing I do remember is that getting the battery in and out was quite awkward, and required a certain amount of perseverance.  

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Quite right JimS8. I have had a look and it does look really tight. To get at the inner clamp bolt seems hard. I saw on a website that someone had cut a section out of the boot panel to make access easier. May do that if it gets too difficult for me. I am not looking to damage my car unnecessarily, but I have to use a nasal cannula with oxygen and I soon run out of steam, so to speak, so always look for the easiest route to do things.

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I think I have changed the battery twice since I got the car in 2005, but haven't done anything as drastic as cutting the boot panels. I don't remember having a problem with the nuts, but rather with lifting it in and out within a confined space: you need strong fingers. It seemed to keep getting stuck, or else dropped into the slot with a battery lead stuck behind it so that I had to take it out again. I eventually managed it with trial and error. Perhaps there is some knack, but I didn't find out what it was!   

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone, just an update on me and my S8 battery. Ordered the battery and planned to collect it and fit. Unfortunately decided to try and peg out a week last Saturday and thanks to a 12 minute response time from ambulance and response car, still here. Spent a week in Hospital and was keen to get the battery on. I didn't realise how awkward the place is to put it. Anyway, it was 'completely' flat now so had to open the car with the key...all worked ok, thank goodness. Rang the RAC and said my battery was flat. Chap that attended was an absolute ''star'. Fitted my battery for me, now my baby is up and running again. I am so, so happy. Thanks for all the info while I got it sorted. Great community!!!!!!

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